That's not always easy. Actions he previously considered childlike — such as standing on one foot and reaching down to place a cone on the floor — now require intense focus and balance for the former Purdue standout and current Sacramento Kings power forward.

Yet Landry rarely stops joking — with his physical therapists and other employees, or with the other patients rehabbing their own injuries. For the 30-year-old Landry the culprit was a torn meniscus in his right knee that ended an already injury plagued 2013-14 season.

The jovial personality comes naturally to Landry, who considers his rehabilitation no joking matter. He is striving to attain the health, and mindset, necessary to again be a productive NBA player.

"Confidence is the game," Landry said. "After having injuries, there's certain moves you don't want to make. There's certain movements you're not comfortable doing. Then, after being off for a year, you just have to regain the rhythm, your basketball IQ of the game.

"I dedicated this summer to redefining my mind and my body and hopefully having one of the best years of my career."

Landry has never started more than 29 games in any of his seven NBA seasons. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound power forward established himself as a reliable reserve, averaging 11.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 minutes per game.

He helped three franchises make four playoff appearances, most recently with Golden State in 2012-13. Landry missed only one game that season and posted his fourth straight double figure scoring average (10.8 points). But baskets aren't always his priority.

"Coming into Houston as a rookie we had Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and all of those guys — those were the scorers," Landry said. "Plays are not going to be run through me. I'm going to have to do the dirty work. I adapted to that role of being the garbage player, if you want to call it."

The Kings agreed, bringing Landry back for a second tenure in July 2013. A free agent deal worth a reported $27 million over four years provided stability for a player who had worn four jerseys in his first six seasons.

"Adding Carl provides depth and veteran leadership in our frontcourt," Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro said at the time of the signing. "His professionalism and workmanlike approach to the game will also serve as a great example to our younger players. We're excited to have him join the team."

Landry never really had a chance to fulfill that promise. He injured his left hip during seemingly routine sprints in training camp. When the injury didn't improve, an MRI revealed a torn hip flexor that cost him the first four-plus months of the season.

Landry returned to action Jan. 19 at Oklahoma City and scored six points in nine minutes. He averaged 4.2 points in 12.9 minutes over 18 games — well below the expected averages of his first six seasons — as pain in his right knee intensified.

Another MRI revealed the torn meniscus, and with Sacramento out of the playoff hunt, Landry and the organization opted for season-ending surgery. Instead of helping Sacramento end an eight-year playoff drought, Landry watched the Kings close out a 28-54 season.

"I love to win, but I just hate to lose," Landry said. "Being a part of something that's not a success is tough. We were put in that position this year. Then again, seeing your brothers out there battling and you can't do anything about it makes the situation two times as hard."

Landry has kept the same offseason routine since leaving Purdue. He spends weekdays in Indianapolis to work out at St. Vincent and returns to Milwaukee, his hometown, on the weekends. Later this summer he'll be back in West Lafayette for his annual youth basketball camp.

Yet that routine includes one important difference. Landry previously used the facility for weight training and other offseason workouts to stay in shape. Now he relies on St. Vincent's physical therapists to help mend his knee. Patience has served him better than athleticism during the tedious months of rehabilitation.

The former Purdue star and current Sacramento Kings power forward discusses recovering from injury, his Purdue connection and giving back to the community.
Nathan Baird

This isn't the first time Landry embarked on a difficult road, and the others led to success. He attended Vincennes University out of high school and worked his way to Purdue, but lost a season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Entering the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 2007, Landry fought for minutes on a talented team. But he was a second-team All-Rookie performer and within three seasons was one of the league's most valuable bench players.

As he transitions out of rehabilitation and returns to basketball activities next week, Landry expects to overcome obstacles once again.

"Growing up, knowing that you've had to work for what you have, that it was never just given to you — that keeps you hungry," Landry said. "That keeps you humble. There's always someone out there that was given that label and you think that you're better then them.

"Every year I try to look at guys and almost have like a hit list. 'OK, this guy isn't better than me.' I have to prove myself and make sure at the end of the season everybody know that I'm better than them."

Former Purdue standout and current Sacramento Kings power forward Carl Landry will conduct his sixth annual basketball camp at West Lafayette High School from July 23-25.

Landry, along with current and former Purdue and NBA players, will conduct the camp for boys and girls ages 7-17. Cost of the camp is $125, and sibling discounts are available. Information is available at www.carllandrycamp.com